Non-epileptic seizures (NES) are predicted by depressive and dissociative symptoms

Psychiatry

Non-epileptic seizures (NES) are predicted by depressive and dissociative symptoms
Epilepsy Research, 04/22/09

Mazza M et al. ? Results are consistent with the hypothesis that depression and dissociative mechanisms are important precursors to the development and expression of pseudo-seizures of non-epileptic seizures (NES).

Methods

• Measurement of depressive and dissociative symptoms in NES pts
• Comparison of NES pts with epileptic pts and healthy controls
• Definition of a personality profile specific to, or typical, of NES pts
• Subjects: 1) 30 consecutive NES pts (21 female; 9 male; mean age 32.9 � 11.7 yrs) diagnosed clinically and confirmed by video?EEG recording
• 2) 30 epilepsy pts matched for age and sex with ≥2 seizures in 12 mo prior to study despite pharmacologic treatment
• 3) 30 controls, healthy volunteers, matched for age and sex
• Psychometric evaluation: Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, Dissociative Experience Scale, Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2)

Results

• Significantly higher prevalence of depressive and dissociative symptoms in NES vs epileptic pts and controls
• No difference between epileptic pts and control group
• General increase in most MMPI-2 T-scores for NES group vs epileptic pts and controls,rather than constant elevation (T-score > 70) of ≥1 scales
• No specific personality profile could be identified for NES group.